“You can’t have too much live music in Music City,” Mayor Karl Dean said. “The National Folk Festival is going to be a great addition to the music festivals already held in Nashville. It’s a chance to display not only the traditional cultures and art of our city, but also the growing diversity of musical genres that call Nashville home.”

The festival will be held in downtown Nashville Sept. 2-4, 2011. Festival organizers are working with city and state officials to find a downtown site for the free-to-the-public event, which will include continuous music, crafts, food, storytelling, a dance pavilion and folklife demonstrations. The 2011 festival is expected to draw upwards of 100,000 people over its three-day span and bring between $10 and $15 million to the city.
“Particularly in these economic times and as we recover from the flood, (an event like this) is great for our hospitality industry, our community and tremendous exposure for sponsoring businesses and organizations,” said Ralph Schulz, president of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Music City will remain the festival’s annual home through 2013, which will also mark the festival’s 75th anniversary. It was last held in Nashville in 1959.